5 Delicious Home-Cooked Recipes for Friends

Last Updated: November 20, 2014

Have a friend that’s feeling under the weather or just brought home a newborn? Or maybe a couple that just returned from their honeymoon to an empty pantry? Sometimes the best thing you can do is drop in with a hug and a delicious home cooked meal.

We’ve rounded up our favorite recipes that can be easily prepared and either eaten that night or frozen and reheated when needed.

Tip: Always label the dish unless you’re dining with your friend that evening. Include the date it was prepared, any special cooking instructions and whether there is another component to be included (i.e. pasta or rice that needs to be cooked to go with a pre-made sauce).

2 large bunches of kale, stemmed and chopped, about 4 overflowing handfuls

¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

4 medium or 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced

8 cups chicken broth or stock, 2 boxes

½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Heat a large heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat

Once the pot has heated through, add the sausage, removed from the casing. Using a wooden spoon, begin to break up the sausage and allow it to cook, stirring occasionally, until it has fully browned.

Remove the crisped sausage from the pot and transfer it to a plate or bowl. Set aside.

Lower the heat to medium, add the butter or oil and throw in the onions and garlic. Stir, scraping down the bottom of the pot picking up the browned bits of sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until soft and translucent about 3 to 5 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and continue to sauté until the onions have caramelized.

Add the chopped kale in batches, allowing it to wilt down as it cooks. It might seem like a lot of kale but it will cook down, just like spinach.

Add the nutmeg and stir. Cook the kale for another 3 minutes until it has turned bright green and completely wilted down. Throw in the sliced potatoes and cooked sausage.

Pour in the chicken stock or broth and bring pot up to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender and soft.

Taste the soup for seasoning; at this point you may add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes, if desired.

Once the potatoes are fully cooked, stir in the heavy cream. Serve with some crusty bread on the side for dipping.

Tip: This soup freezes well in an airtight container and is just as delicious when reheated over the stove – perfect for friends who don’t have the time or energy to cook. Just put it in a pot over medium heat until it’s piping hot!

Add garlic and chili flakes and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool so it doesn’t melt the feta when you mix it in.

Drain the chickpeas, rinse and place in the salad bowl

Add crumbled feta, scallions, parsley and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper

Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture and remaining oil and mix well

Tip: This salad will keep over a few days and would be great for lunch or dinner.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Because everyone needs a little something sweet at the end of a meal.

Ingredients

For the bread:

3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up

⅓ cup melted butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp.vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

Dash of salt

1 ½ cups flour

For the swirl:

⅓ cup sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

Butter and flour a loaf pan – we use 9×5 but any size will do, just keep an eye on it while it’s baking

Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together

Sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture, then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!

In a small dish, mix together the swirl ingredients

Add half of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle about half (maybe a little more) of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, but remember to keep a close eye on it in the oven